What Are Your Favorite Post-Apocalyptic Genre Books (No Spoilers)?

[JanewayRulz!]

One summer when I was bored, I grabbed a book off of my parent's bookshelf. The book was called Alas, Babylon and I absolutely loved it. However, I never read anything or watched anything related to the post-apocalyptic genre after that. That is until a couple of years back when I watched the Jericho series and then a couple of other post-apocalyptic films and shows, such as the Walking Dead. Recently, I've been reading a book called One Second After by William R. Forstchen. I've found that I really like the post-apocalyptic genre and am wondering if you can recommend any other books in the genre. Post the title, author, and the particular circumstance that led to the apocalyptic event (ex: EMP, nuclear bomb, disease, etc.). Please don't post any spoilers! TBH, I'm not really interested in any books where there are zombies or alien invasions, lol. I'll start:

• Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank - Nuclear war
• One Second After by William R. Forstchen - EMP

When I saw this thread, the book that was 1st on my list was "Alas Babylon".

I don't have another book, but do have a short story by Stephen Vincent Benet with a similar name.

"By the Waters of Babylon."

http://www.amazon.com/Waters-Babylon-Tale-Blazers-Literature/dp/0895986906

Do yourself a favor and read it before you look at the publication date.

 

[JD]

I actually just started getting into Dystopias and Post-Apocalyptic novels thanks to The Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games and Divergent are both post-apocalyptic, although they take place long after society has rebuilt. I've read the first two Hunger Games books and loved them. I'm almost half way through Divergent, and I'm really enjoying it too.

Another one I'm reading that isn't quite as well known is Under the Never Sky by Veronica Roth. I'm really liking the world in this one. In it society is split between high tech futuristic enclosed cities called Pods, where people (or at least young people) spend the majority of their time in VR "Realms", and low tech tribes populated by normal people and mutants with enhanced senses. They haven't said anything about the disaster that occured, but now there is some kind of electrical disturbance up in the sky called the Aether.
The story is split between a girl from a Pod who gets tossed into the outside world, and a guy from one of the tribes she ends up joining up with.
These are all YA books, but you shouldn't let that stop you, they are definitely worth checking out IMO.

 

[Mistral]

Alright-y'all just hit my "go to" key.

Alas, Babylon-Pat Frank
Canticle,
Malevil(so horrifying I read it once and never re-read it, post-nuke)
Pluribus-Mike Kurland. (It all just falls apart)
Warday
Ark Liberty by Will Bradley
Queen City Jazz-Kathleen Goonan(nanites/Singularity)
Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang-Kate Wilhelm (sorta post-Nuke)
The Third World War-Humphrey Hawksley (nukes again with political intrigue)
The Steel, The Mist, and the Blazing Sun-Christopher Anvil (Can't say-it would spoil the story)
"If This Goes On"-Bob Heinlein (theocratic takeover) short story/novella
Mauri and Kith-Poul Anderson(must read b4 Orion Shall Rise-environmental collapse)
The Long Night-Poul Anderson
Single Combat, Systemic Shock, The Wild Country-Dean Ing (War)
The Stars Are Ours! - Andre Norton (Luddite takeover) sequel is Starborn
There Will Be War series, ed. by Jerry Pournelle
After Doomsday- Poul Anderson
"The Knife's Edge" H. Beam Piper (short story-nukes)
The Armageddon Blues- Daniel Keyes Moran (killer satellites, time travel)
Farnham's Freehold-Bob Heinlein (post-nuke, sort of)

The Morrow Project (teen book I read in the late 70s)
After The Flash(NOT the JR Madsen novel of the same name. Memory loss)
The Peshawar Lancers-SM Stirling (comet strike)
Earthrise and Deathday- William Dietz (Alien takeover)
Against The Fall Of Night-Arthur Clarke (humanity run down)
Damnation Alley- Roger Zelazny (nukes again)
Vault of the Ages- Poul Anderson (unspecified)
Eternity Road- Jack McDevitt (war?)
The Postman- David Brin
A Gift Upon the Shore- MK Wren (don't remember what the cause was)
Emergence- David Palmer (nukes with a twist, Post-Human)
The Domination- SM Stirling (um, horrific alt history society run amuck) its actually 3 books combined
the Kingdom River trilogy by Mitchell Smith
End In Fire- Syne Mitchell (all out war)
Star Man's Son, 2250 A.D. -Andre Norton (no specific reason given)
"The Answer" -H Beam Piper (short story-telling would spoil)
"The Return" - H Beam Piper (short story-post nuke)
Kammandi- Jack Kirby, DC comics, 59 original issues, also Brave and the Bold #120-Batman and Kammandi

That should keep you busy for a while.

 

[Davros]

A
The Morrow Project (teen book I read in the late 70s)

And a role playing game in the early 80s.


I forgot to list:
Empire Of The East
and
The Hawkmoon Trilogy

Both are so far past the fall of civilization to be closer to the Fantasy genre

 

[Mistral]

A
The Morrow Project (teen book I read in the late 70s)

And a role playing game in the early 80s.


I forgot to list:
Empire Of The East
and
The Hawkmoon Trilogy



Both are so far past the fall of civilization to be closer to the Fantasy genre

Agreed. Empire of the East is only scifi because of the Elephant.

 

[Jan]

'Emergence' - David R. Palmer - Biological/nuclear warfare


If you can find a copy for a decent price. It's one of my all-time favorite books, period.


Jan

 

[JD]

If you read comic books, Y: The Last Man is pretty great. I've only read the first (digital) TPB, but I loved it.
It follows a man and his monkey after they become the only survivors of a plauge that wipes out every other mammal with a Y chromosome.
It's written by Vertigo, so it is equivalent to a R rated movie.